You can say what you will about Windows Phone and Windows 8's Metro interface (I refuse to drop that name) - it's inefficient, unpopular, cumbersome, beautiful, ugly, organised, clean, limiting - but there's one thing we can all agree on: it's unique and distinctive. CNet has published a profile of Microsoft's Albert Shum, the man behind Metro, and he highlights what I think is at the very core of Microsoft's problems in mobile right now.

What amazes me is this...how can you get it so wrong when you have obvious examples of what work? I mean sure you don't want to put out a copy, but just because you don't want to copy a Chevy doesn't mean you put handlebars on your new pickup truck, that is just dumb. They did the same stupidity with GFWL, which should be a lesson in "how NOT to sell games" as the whole UI is so badly made you often can't even find what you are seriously TRYING to give them money for!

The real stupid part is you had all these beta testers, people that cared enough to actually 1.-Download the OS, 2.-Install it on actual hardware, 3.-Run the OS day to day and 4.- Be willing to report the findings in the hopes of making the OS better. These are guys that frankly are ALREADY in your corner so just ignoring them when they tell you "This is just terrible" is just asking for it. I mean what did the beta testers say about the last two? That Vista was terrible and Win 7 was great, and what do ya know but Vista flopped and Win 7 sold well. Just goes to show that if a company is determined to do something REALLY dumb all the warnings in the world just ain't gonna help.